More Schools Around China to Start Reopening This Month

Schools in China are beginning to reopen again, with local ministries of education announcing staggered starting dates across the country.

On Thursday, the Shanghai Education Commission announced the reopening of schools later this month, with students in the final year of senior and junior high schools preparing for exams set to return to school on April 27. Higher education institutions and secondary vocational schools can also arrange to receive soon-to-be graduates the same day.

All schools in Shanghai should be ready to welcome students in other grades in batches before May 6, director of the Commission Lu Jing said, but the date for them to reopen will be decided based on developments of the epidemic and announced later.

For now, there will be no changes to school holidays or make-up dates. “At present, we will not ask schools to teach on weekends or delay summer vacation,” said Lu. “We will carry out follow-up monitoring and change teaching plans if necessary.”

So far, only Beijing and Hubei province, considered the coronavirus epicenter, have not revealed their school reopening plan.

Both Beijing and Hubei have taken some of the strictest measures in the country to contain the virus, with authorities in both locations sticking to the highest level of emergency response measures. Authorities in both regions declared level one emergencies on January 24 in response to the outbreak. Those measures continue to be maintained. A level one emergency is the highest on China’s four-tiered public health emergency system.